Florida's 6-week pregnant woman restrictions starting soon.
Florida has emerged as a vital access point for abortions amid the widespread restrictions that have arisen in the region in the last two years since the US Supreme Court's Dobbs decision abolished Roe v. Wade. It is also one of the country's most populous states.
In 2023, around one in three abortions conducted in the southern region and about one in every twelve nationwide took place in Florida, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute, an organization dedicated to researching and promoting sexual and reproductive health with a focus on supporting abortion rights. In Florida, there were about 7,000 abortions each month, and more than 9,000 people traveled from other locations to get an abortion in the state throughout the year, the data shows.
Many women are unaware that they're pregnant six weeks after their last menstrual period, and states that have enforced six-week gestation limits have experienced a significant reduction in abortion care. In Texas, for instance, the number of legal abortions in formal healthcare settings fell by almost half after implementing a six-week ban in 2021. Additionally, South Carolina witnessed a 70% decrease in abortions just one month after enforcing a six-week time frame.
However, stricter restrictions in Florida could have a more substantial impact than historical trends predict because Florida has been receiving patients from other states with more restrictive laws. This year, more than 1,300 people from other states have traveled to Florida for an abortion, representing approximately one-tenth of all abortions in the state so far in 2024.
In the South, only three out of 16 states – Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia – permit abortions past the first trimester, while North Carolina has a 12-week limit. Florida will join Georgia and South Carolina with a six-week ban, leaving only these states as options for accessing abortion after the first trimester.
"When it comes to the number of individuals affected, this may turn out to be one of the most consequential policy changes that has happened in recent months — and that's not to diminish the other policy changes that have also caused considerable harm and significant barriers to access," Isaac Maddow-Zimet, a data scientist with the Guttmacher Institute who is the lead researcher for a project tracking abortions across the US, informed CNN. "All these phenomena are interconnected. As more and more obstacles to access arise, particularly in the Southeast, and as alternatives for care diminish, it intensifies these impediments much more than we could have previously anticipated."
A 2022 study discovered that the average travel distance to a reproductive healthcare center increased threefold in the months subsequent to the Dobbs decision. The consequences of this change were particularly serious in specific southern states like Texas and Louisiana, where journeys to the closest abortion facility doubled, resulting in an additional eight hours of travel time.
Considering facilities in states with complete bans and those with a six-week limit, active providers were reduced by approximately one-tenth. The current abortion landscape in the US has scarcely improved over the past year and a half, and Florida's recently enacted six-week ban would affect a substantial number of facilities remaining in the South.
Patients and healthcare providers had 30 days to prepare for the Supreme Court's decision, which opened the door for new abortion restrictions, and independent clinics have been inundated with inquiries. Amber Gavin, Vincent's vice president of advocacy and operations for A Woman's Choice, an independent abortion clinic operating in Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia, reported a significant increase in requests for information and scheduling.
The Florida Supreme Court's decision was a major setback considering that it reversed over forty years of legal precedent. "But it might also lead to increased engagement and voting in November to ensure government interference in these highly private decisions is minimized," Gavin stated.
Florida is among three states – alongside Maryland and New York – that have managed to secure abortion-related measures on the 2024 ballot. The initiative called “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion” would protect abortion rights up to the point of "viability" or to protect the patient's health as assessed by their healthcare provider. Several other states, including ten, have put forth abortion-related measures, either to secure access or limit it.
"(The Florida Supreme Court's ruling) was a really detrimental scenario for us since it overturned four decades of tradition," Gavin concluded. "However, it may also act as a stimulus and encourage people to vote in November to safeguard their right to make their own personal choices."
Meanwhile, abortion support organizations across the nation are gearing up for an influx of individuals who might be affected by Florida's more stringent regulations.
The Tampa Bay Abortion Fund is prepared for 90% of the individuals who contact their hotline to be affected by a six-week abortion restriction, driving them to look for abortion care outside of Florida. The Chicago Abortion Fund has expanded their services and capacity in expectation of this move by Florida's judicial system, with their staff calculating that they'll require an extra $100,000 per month to assist the influx of Floridians and other people from the South.
Kris Lawler, the president of the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund's board, issued a statement saying, "Each caller to TBAFund is already experiencing one or more obstacles to healthcare, like insufficient funds, transportation difficulties, childcare issues, or limited access to nearby abortion facilities in their area. The six-week ban will ruthlessly intensify these hurdles."
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Source: edition.cnn.com
